Coronavirus stimulus negotiations continue amid Congress stalemate

September 17, 2020 Amber Coakley US 0

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:23 AM PT – Thursday, September 17, 2020

The stalemate in Congress has continued and officials appear to be losing hope for a new coronavirus stimulus package before the November elections.

In an interview Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) claimed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to pass a bill for $1.5 trillion in coronavirus relief. The proposal, which was rejected by the Democrat House Committee chairs on Tuesday, was made by the the Problem Solvers Caucus with bipartisan support.

Nonetheless, Pelosi and other Democrats have maintained they would like to see a proposal of over $2 trillion put into the relief bill. Meanwhile, President Trump and his advisors remain hopeful a deal can be reached soon.

“And I think there’s a growing sense that there’s still some real needs that need to be addressed,”said White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. “And I’ve tried to express the willingness on behalf of the White House to openly address them.”

Meadows also stated he’s more optimistic for a deal now than he has been in a while. His remarks came after the President tweeted Wednesday, encouraging Republicans to go higher in their stimulus negotiations.

Democrats are “heartless”. They don’t want to give STIMULUS PAYMENTS to people who desperately need the money, and whose fault it was NOT that the plague came in from China. Go for the much higher numbers, Republicans, it all comes back to the USA anyway (one way or another!).

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2020

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer followed up with the President’s tweet by saying in a statement they look forward to hearing more from the president’s negotiators.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, speaks next to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., during a news conference about COVID-19, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)